to dinghy sailers - your thoughts on which dinghy(s) please

J

jema

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need to shake up & change the family dinghy store, it aint working.... thoughts on appropriate choice dinghy models please
2 adults, 2 kids 9 & 6, all sail regularly
9yrs small for age but good sailor, sails in all weather, want to race
6yrs just starting, loves it , gets nervy, when tippy, still wants to sit in with adults sometimes
adult 1 speed / adrenaline junky, but doesnt bend very well, cant get under low boom, must have centermain, not into trapeeze, wants a challenge
adult 2 hates tippy & trapeez, happy sailing with kids & pottering, enjoys speed, does want to return to racing, prefers single handers (big enough for kids +occaisional other adults)
currently have topper which happy with (9yrs & A2 fight over it),
escape mango, handed down to 6yrs, but shes not happy & it points like a dog (so they have to tack too frequently)
Pico - hurts A1 as sailing position not good, demoralizing as not fast enough as a single hander
used to have rs 400, but couldnt sail it together because kids....
Want to sort out a change that will last at least 5 years til kids bigger, ideas / models please
thanks
 
argh you beat me to it.
I would suggest a dart 18,
it would fill all your requirements bar the trapezing and its obvious open to the elementness.
Personally I still feel wayfarers are the nuts, massive racing, huge overnight potential, fits in the garage some respite from the conditions, ideal for juniors to gain loads of sail trimming exp. and will hold value if kept well, good storage and good sea keeping, Ive had these planing on a 3 sail reach doing 18 kts. wire or not - your choice and if a 'low' boom is such an issue, obtain a smaller luffed main with a deep roach or use say, a gp 14 main.
just a point of view, good luck
 
ah but A1, will be helm and 9yrs on trapeze? I gave up racing dart 18 after national championships won by father & 9yr old son - total weight must have been less than 14 stone (approx half our weight).

Laser for A2. speed of dart and pitchpole etc might put a2 off ....

6yr old can certainly get on a dart with other two and might even fit inside laser with A2. Dart's easily trailered and with a bit of ingenuity, the laser could get on as well. Cost of s/h Dart in vgc was approx £2k incl trailer (some years ago). Because the dart is raced nationally, all equipment has to be class legal and can be expensive ..
 
Enterprise, no trapeze but user friendly and cost efffective. Easily sailed single or dual handed. Only prob is transom mounted main sheet (why is this a problem?)
 
For 9 yr old that wants to race - stick with Topper for now.
For 6yr old that is less sure - oppy - nice little boat - and active racing circuit.
If they want to sail together then a Mirror is a great little boat, or perhaps a Cadet, moving on to a 420 or Hobie 409 or 29er .... but by that time they will tell you want boat they want!

For you 2, no trapeze but want a challenge - RS200 would be a challenge, but if A1 is not so flexible then you might want a higher boom. A 2k has a higher boom but is an easy(er) sail with the potential for racing still there. The 2k also has an optional trapeze kit for fun so could be used for the kids...? It can also be singlehanded with little problem.
The older design boats are still an option - wayfarer, enterprise and GP14... or firefly, albacore etc etc.
 
Re: Easy enough to solve

Buy the kids Optimists. Then parents won't have time to go sailing cos they're taking kids to races.

Hobie 16's make great family boats. Loads about at reasonable money. You can get your pulse rate up without resorting to gymnastics, or just cruise along with the whole family onboard. Worth checking to see if you can get a no trapeze handicap.

Adult one wants a challenge? Try the Int. Canoe. You don't go under the boom at all. Not for none swimmers.
 
A Lark is an excellent boat for all levels of skill. Very responsive to tuning, no trapeze, spinnaker if required. Most have centre main. Above all super fun to sail.
 
The GP14 on the other hand offers the crew a little more to do by way of a spinnaker. In addition the sailplan is a little more balanced so can be less of a handfull going downwind. Again can be used for racing or pottering and easily sailed single handed. Bit heavy for shifting on your own - up and down slipways.
 
RS Feva. Can be sailed singlehanded with just main (Choice of sail sizes and the smaller one has reef points). Full rigged with jib and spinaker it is a great racing boat for our 12 and 14 year olds. Also comfortable for one adult and one child.

Very popular with lots of race meetings. You have to move fast to get a secondhand one.
 
Without a doubt go for the RS200. Great racing, easy to sail, fast and rewarding. But tends to get more stable as speed increases. Sailed Larks all through Uni, and found them great fun but quite tippy. Ents are also good, but not much for the crew to do unless you are into racing.

We ended up going for something with 3 cabins and a lick of speed! Compromise was to suit kids of 8 and 5, reluctant better half and grandparents. If it hadn't been that would have gone for the 200.

John
 
Laser 2000 - absolutely no doubt in my mind. Light to handle on shore and launch, dead easy and quick to rig. Roller furling jib, centre sheeted main. Very comfortable to sit in with plenty of room and even two storage bins. Good for pottering, but goes like stink with the kite up. I loved mine and only sold her when my back gave out and precluded dinghy sailing.

Bear in mind that a 9 year old will soon grow up and be looking for something fast with street cred. Nice though a GP14 is (I had one of those once) it just doesn't do that!

Simon
 
[ QUOTE ]
I gave up racing dart 18 after national championships won by father & 9yr old son - total weight must have been less than 14 stone (approx half our weight).



[/ QUOTE ]

Just out of interest was that Weymouth 1999 ?

If so that 9year old is now our top RYA youth cat sailor.

There again his dad is the coach !
 
wow thanks, great response
has anyone got/ sailed an rs vareo?, are the good as they are marketed as single hander, that can sail 2 up, main & asymatric, but no gib.... comments please

interested in the comment re cats...how many of you sail a cat single handed ( ie 1 adult with or with out small kids on board) ? 16 ft or sim, comments please
thx
 
I sailed an RS Vario at a Sunsail club last year and really rather enjoyed it. There's something very reckless feeling about a single hander with a kite, but it did take some getting used to and imagine it would take a fair bit of practice to race it. It did feel very quick and powerful, but also quite heavy and solid. I weigh about 75-80kg ( depending on season) and did struggle to keep it level at times with the kite up, though that may just have been poor technique. I'm afraid I don't know about double handing them.
 
Vareos are great fun....... no problems 2 handing, but would be way too powerful for a kid to single hand in anything other than very light winds....

For more flexibility, I would look at the Feva...... plus they are a lot tougher (although the Vareo is pretty tough too)... great kids racing in Fevas, sailable in a real blow, and fun as a 'muck about' boat on hot windless summer days.... race events are a real mix of adult/kid and kid/kid crews, so accepted family boat...
 
I've sailed the Vareos on holiday last 3 years, agree with Nas and Dralex, they are exciting singlehanded for the adults but only sailable by a child in light winds.
Tippy but predictable - think of a Vareo as a turbo powered Laser !!

Quite stable with 2 up and still goes well with kite.

Again, only sailed the Darts and Hobies on holiday for last 5 years. mostly singlehanded with trapeze. due to their size and speed you need more space, ideally the sea. You certainly can't short tack up/down a narrow river or channel. SWMO loves the Dart even though she is a reluctant sailor. Last year the Kids (4 & 2) came too and loved it.
I'm not well up on the gear but seem to remember you can reef the main quite easily.
 
Twas indeed .. the pair of 'em passed us as if we were standing still ... however, thought us lardies would get our own back when wind picked up on wednesday and we did pass them - we were going some with me hinging onto crew's knickers to add weight - but after it passed F9, with sea to match, we ended upside down along with 80 others. he could discard this race, the pair of pikers .... !
 
I was there too that's how I remember it.

To be honest he won coz the rest of the racing was abandoned after Big Wednesday.

We made a move to retire just before the start of that race, I couldn't see how we could race in that. I could hardly stay on the trapeze.

Wise move as it turned out.

Still, dart's are a still dam good boat
 
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